Stamped housings to facilitate assembly and related methods

ABSTRACT

Connector housings and connector assemblies for mechanically connecting a pin to a housing with or without electrical conductivity. A connector housing can be formed by attaching two housing sections together with one or both housing sections formed at least in part by a stamping process. The connector housing can have an outer contour, such as an outer perimeter, with one or more sides and with a joining section connecting two adjacent sides together. The two or more sides can be used for handling, aligning, and/or assembling of the connector housing to a cavity.

FIELD OF ART

The present disclosure is generally related to connector assemblieshaving a housing, a pin, and a canted coil spring in between acting as amedium for holding, latching, or locking the pin to the housing withspecific discussions on connector assemblies having a housing stampedhousing piece or pieces and related methods.

BACKGROUND

Connector assemblies are known for use as mechanical fasteners, aslatching connectors, as holding connectors and as locking connectors.These connectors typically have a housing with a bore and a pin eitherwith or without a pin groove. A spring is placed in the groove, eitherof the housing or the pin, for forming a connection between the pin andthe housing, which can be a holding connection type, a latchingconnection type in which the pin is allowed to be removed from thehousing, or a locking connection type in which the pin is not allowed tobe removed from the housing unless the connector, such as the spring, isdestroyed. When the housing and the pin are coupled to an electricalsource or node to pass current or electrical signals there-across, theconnector can also carry current and functions as an electricalconnector. Exemplary connectors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,678,210; 5,082,390; 5,411,348; and 8,297,662.

SUMMARY

Connector housings, connector assemblies and their components formechanically connecting a pin to a housing with or without electricalconductivity are disclosed. A connector housing in accordance with thepresent disclosure can be formed by attaching two housing sectionstogether with one or both housing sections formed at least in part by astamping process. The connector housing can have an outer contour, suchas an outer perimeter, with one or more sides and with a joining sectionconnecting two adjacent sides together. The two or more sides can beused for handling, aligning, and/or assembling of the connector housingto a cavity.

Connector assemblies are disclosed each with a first housing section anda second housing section joined together along a seam.

The two housing sections can be identical or be different. The outerperimeters of the two housing sections can be the same or be different.When two housing sections are assembled, the connector housing formedhereby has a housing perimeter. Different housing sections can form aspring groove with non-symmetrical groove shape, such as along the seam.

A canted coil spring can be used with a spring groove of the connectorhousing. The canted coil spring can be a radial canted coil spring or anaxial canted coil spring. Optionally, a ribbon spring or a V-spring canbe used instead of a canted coil spring.

A pin with or without a pin groove can be inserted into a bore of thehousing and into the spring center of the canted coil spring to hold,latch, or lock the pin and the housing to one another.

A canted coil spring usable herein comprises a plurality of coils cantedin the same general direction with each coil comprising a major axis anda minor axis.

The coils can expand and compress like a traditional helical compressionor extension spring but can also cant or deflect along a radialdirection relative to the axis passing through the plurality of cantedcoils, unlike traditional helical compression or extension spring. Inother examples, the spring can be a garter spring, a cantilever spring,or a ribbon spring.

Exemplary canted coil springs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,655,462;4,826,144; and 4,876,781, the contents of which are expresslyincorporated herein by reference.

The canted coil spring usable herein can be made from a conductivemetal, such as a conductive metal wire, and may be plated or claddedwith one or more outer layers over a base metallic layer. As usedherein, conductive metal means any metal capable of conducting current,such as steel, stainless steel, copper, and gold. In certainembodiments, a preferred conductive metal, such as copper, copper alloy,or a preferred combination, such as copper with silver or other noblemetal cladding, may be used.

The housing or connector housing comprises a body having a housingperimeter and a bore defined by an inside perimeter. The body cancomprise a flange section and a contoured or shaped section locatedradially inwardly from the flange section. The contoured section candefine a spring groove.

In an example, the connector housing is formed by joining two or morehousing sections together. The two or more housing sections can bejoined by various means, including by welding their perimeters together,by crimping the perimeters, by using fasteners, or by using rivets.

The body of the housing can be formed by securing two housing sectionstogether, such as by welding the outer perimeter of the two housingsections together. The size of the inside perimeter and the overall sizeof the connector housing can be selected for different applications.

The two housing sections has a seam therebetween. The outer perimeter ofthe two housing sections can be the same, such as the same shape and/orsize, so that the outer edges of the respective outer perimeters canshare a common outer perimeter. In other examples, the outer perimeterof each housing section can be different from the other in shape and/orsize so that while they can still share a seam therebetween, there is nocommon outer perimeter.

Each housing section can have a flange structure, a contoured or shapedstructure, an exterior surface, and an interior surface. Each housingsection can have opening defined by an interior perimeter, which definesa bore for receiving a pin. In an example, the two housing sections cancontact one another at the interior surfaces of their respective flangestructures, at or adjacent the outer perimeters, as opposed tocontacting at the edges of their respective outer perimeters.

A spring groove is defined by the two housing sections. The springgroove can comprise two sidewalls and a bottom wall locatedtherebetween.

The two sidewalls of the spring groove can be formed from all or part ofthe contoured structures of the two housing sections. The bottom wallcan also be formed by the two contoured structures and can have a seampassing therethrough.

The spring groove has a width measured by the spacing between the twosidewalls and a groove depth measured from the groove bottom to a pointdefined by the two inside perimeters of the two housing sections.

In an example, the groove depth and the groove width can be selected soas to accommodate an axial canted coil spring, a radial canted coilspring, or either of the radial or axial spring but rotated from eachspring's normal coiled position. For example, when using a radial cantedcoil spring, the major axis can be rotated from horizontal or when usingan axial canted coil spring, the major axis can be rotated fromvertical.

Both horizontal and vertical reference points can be measured relativeto a housing axis passing through the bore of the housing. Thelengthwise axis of the pin can alternative be used as a reference point.

The spring groove can have two generally parallel sidewalls. Thesidewalls 138, 140 can alternatively converge or diverge from oneanother, such as being tapered as opposed to orthogonal to the housingaxis.

The bottom wall can be general U-shaped, generally V-shaped, can have aflat bottom, or can have a single taper as opposed to being parallel tothe housing axis. The various groove geometries of the spring groove canbe implemented, formed, or adjusted by changing the shape of thecontoured structures of the two housing sections.

The assembled housing sections with a spring groove and a canted coilspring can accept a pin or a shaft so that the canted coil spring isbiased between the housing and the shaft. A pin or piston can beinserted in through the bore of the housing and the pin can either latchto the housing via the canted coil spring, lock to the housing, or beheld to the housing by the canted coil spring.

One or both housing sections can be formed by cold working a metal pieceto shape the metal piece into the shaped housing section shown. Forexample, for a two-piece connector housing, both housing sections can beformed by cold working a metal piece, only one housing section is formedby cold working a metal piece while the other is machined, or bothhousing sections can have sections formed by cold-working while othersections by machining. By cold-working, it is understood that theforming or working process to shape the metal work piece is notperformed during casting since some heat may be used during the formingprocess.

The two housing sections can be substantially identical or be different,such as to produce a non-symmetrical spring groove about the seam. Insome examples, the housing section can have both a cold-worked sectionand a machined section, such as a cut or a lathed inner perimeter with acontoured structure formed by cold working a metal piece.

A housing section made by cold-working a metal piece can be referred toas a stamped housing section. The housing section may be made using acoining process, which is a cold working process similar to forging,except the latter usually takes place at elevated temperatures. A die ormultiple dies may be used in a coining process to first cut a blank andthen shaping the blank into a refined shape, which can optionallyfurther be machined or laser treated to further modify the final shapesand tolerances. The die or dies used to shape the blank may havedifferent shapes and contours for forming a different shaped housingsection, such as for forming different shaped contoured structures toproduce different shaped spring grooves when joining two housingsections together to form a connector housing.

Generally speaking, the shaped housing section can be described as anegative image of the die or dies used to form the shaped section orsections. A great deal of force is used to plastically deform a blank orwork piece. In one example, a hydraulic actuated press can be used tosupply the working pressure. In other examples, a gear driven press or amechanical press may be used to supply the working pressure.

Coining is similar to stamping with the difference primarily being theworking force or pressure. Unless the context indicates otherwise,coining and stamping for purposes of the present disclosure are usedsynonymously.

Blank materials usable as the starting point for forming the disclosedhousing section may be made from any number of conductive metals.

The outer perimeter of the connector housing can have multiple sides,such as two sides, three sides, four sides, or more than four sides.Each side should have a distinct side section or sections so thattogether they do not form a round or a circular outer perimeter. Incontrast, prior art connector housings typically have round outerperimeters. By incorporating sides to an outer perimeter, the presentconnector housing can improve handling and assembly, such as by allowingthe sides to be used as reference points, for line contacts with otherflat surfaces, and/or for alignment, among others.

Two sides of the outer perimeter can connect to one another by a joiningsection. Two adjacent sides and one joining section therebetween areclearly distinct, have a change in axis or an inflection point, comparedto an arc with a single radius or a straight line. Each joining sectioncan be a corner with a small radius, a large radius, or be substantiallyright angle or 90 degrees. The joining section can alternatively be acorner tab, which can provide additional function than simply joiningthe sides.

For a four-sided outer perimeter, or for a perimeter with more than orfewer than four sides, the joining sections can be the same or differentin size and/or shape. For example, one joining section can have a smallradius while another joining section of the same perimeter can have alarge radius.

The plurality of sides of the outer perimeter can be of equal size, suchas to form a generally square shape outer perimeter with rounded joiningsections, or of different sizes, such as to from a generally rectangularshape, or other polygonal shapes.

A stamped housing section can be formed to have flat sides in order tofacilitate assembly and fitment in rectangular or square cavities. Theterm flat side can be understood to mean a generally straight or linearside. In some examples, each side can have multiple flat sectionsforming a side, as further discussed below. Thus, when a connectorhousing formed by using two housing sections of the present disclosureis installed or assembled into a cavity of an equipment or a componentof a larger equipment, the outer perimeter of the connector housing withflat sides can form a fitment with a correspondingly shaped cavity. Thisarrangement allows for proper alignment between the connector housingand the cavity, anti-rotation or turning within the cavity, andfacilitate assembly, among others.

In an alternative embodiment, the joining sections between two adjacentsides are not uniform or not the same. Two joining sections of multiplejoining sections of a connector housing can have the same shape whileother joining sections can have different shapes.

One of the sides 160 can be an active side with two slots formed nearthe joining sections. The slots can be provided in the flange section ofthe connector housing. The slots do not have a continuous perimeterdefining the openings of the slots. Alternatively, holes with acontinuous perimeter can be provided instead of the non-continuousperimeter.

The two slots can be the same or be different, such as one with anon-continuous perimeter and another with a continuous perimeter. Theslots on the active side may be included to provide alignment alongguiderails or rods within the assembly or equipment. Thus, in additionto aligning the straight side of the active side with a cavity,alignment and guidance capabilities can be provided with the slots ofthe present disclosure to ease and simplify assembly of the stampedhousing sections within an assembly, such as within a connector stack orassembly for use with a header of an implantable medical device (IMD).

The holes or slots may facilitate welding of wires to the housingconnector.

A connector housing can be provided with a plurality of holes, each witha continuous perimeter, in the flange section of the connector housing.The holes can be of the same size or be different. The holes may beincluded to provide alignment within the assembly or equipment.

Corner tabs can be provided instead of radiused joining sections at thecorners with the active side. The corners tabs, because they join twoadjacent sides, can also be considered joining sections.

The corner tabs can each be stamped with the respective housing sectionand then the two housing sections joined together, such as by welding,to form the connector housing. The corner tabs can offer extra flatmaterial to facilitate handling of the connector housing. The cornertabs can also be useful as a guide or alignment means along a slot orcavity in a connector assembly or header, as well as providing furtherreal estate for welding of wires or for use as leverage. The corner tabsmay be thought of as extensions of the flat active side.

The corner tabs can be separately formed members or components that areattached to the body of the connector housing. For example, corner tabscan be machined or stamped extended members that are separately formedfrom the housing sections.

The two housing can be provided with fitment corners that are sized andshaped to receive the two corner tabs. In some examples, only a singlecorner tab is separately formed and subsequently attached to the body ofthe connector housing. The attachment can be made by welding. Notchesand/or holes can be excluded from any of the connector housings but canbe included.

In some examples, only a single unitarily formed corner tab is includedas one of the joining sections that joins two sides and the remainingjoining sections can be radiused joining sections. For example, thejoining sections 162 have two different radiuses.

In some examples, the two corner tabs are made from different materialsthan from the two housing sections. The corner tabs can also be formedfrom a single layer along a thickness thereof rather than from two ormore layers. The corner tabs can be made from a metal material or from anon-metallic material, such as from engineered plastic. If the cornertabs are made from a metal material, they can attach to the body of theconnector housing by welding. If the corner tabs are made from anon-metallic material, they can attach to the body of the connectorhousing using adhesive, press-fit, fasteners, detents, or combinationsthereof.

In some examples, one or both housing sections for forming the body ofthe connector housing can have a first section 190 formed bycold-working a metal material and a second section made from a plasticmaterial, such as from an engineered plastic, or from a metal material.The second section can be provided with an outside diameter that fitswith an inside diameter of the first section. The attachment can be bywelding if the second section is made from a metal material or byadhesive, press-fit, fasteners, detents, or combinations thereof if thesecond section is made from a plastic material.

The second section can be generally flat or planar and has an insideperimeter defining a bore and an outside perimeter. The second sectioncan be similar to a washer used with a bolt or a fastener.

In some examples, the connector housing can be formed from three housingsections, including a first housing section, a second housing section,and a third housing section. The three housing sections can be joined toone another to form a connector body with two seams.

The first and second housing sections of the connector body formed bythree pieces can be formed by stamping. For example, the first andsecond housing sections can be stamped from two or more dies to createan outside perimeter with an outside diameter and an inside perimeterwith an inside diameter. These pieces can be similar to a washer. Thethird housing section can shape as a cylindrical body and can be formedby cutting or machining a length of tubing and the like.

The first and second housing sections can attach to the third housingsection, which can all be made from one of the conductive metalmaterials discussed elsewhere herein, by welding.

A connector housing comprising a connector body or body having a springgroove can be formed by cold working a single piece structure. In anexample, the single piece structure can be a section of a tube having alength, a thickness, an inside diameter, an outside diameter, a bore,and two end openings.

The tubing section or single piece structure can be a soft metalmaterial, such as copper, brass, or alloys thereof, and can optionallybe plated or cladded with a different metallic layer, internally,externally, or both. The single piece structure can be cold-worked whilesupporting two end sections and allowing a central section to bulge orexpand radially outwardly from the lengthwise axis of the connectorbody.

Internal and external dies can be used to shape the central section ofthe single piece structure to produce two sidewalls and a bottom walltherebetween to form the spring groove. The connector housing inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure therefore has aconnector body with a spring groove formed by stamping a single piece ora unitary piece to form the desired spring groove shape, which can havetwo sidewalls and a bottom wall located therebetween.

The length of the two end sections on either side of the central sectionor on either side of the spring groove can be the same or different.Further, the length of either end section can be machined or cut afterthe stamping process.

An aspect of the connector housing is understood to include a connectorbody having a spring groove formed entirely by stamping a tubing sectionto produce two sidewalls and a bottom wall therebetween to receive acanted coil spring, which can be a radial canted coil spring or an axialcanted coil spring.

In an example, the spring groove has internal radiused corners at theentrance of the opening of the spring groove and radiused corners at thebottom of the spring groove.

In an example, a connector housing having a body having a spring groovecan be formed entirely by stamping a tubing section to produce twosidewalls and a bottom wall therebetween to receive a canted coilspring.

The connector body can have two end sections and a central section andwherein the spring groove can be located between the two end sectionsand at the central section.

In an example, each of the two end sections can comprise an outsidediameter and the central section can comprise an outside diameter, andwherein the outside diameter of the central section is larger than theoutside diameters of the two end sections.

The outside diameters of the two end sections can be the same.

The different outside diameters, such as the larger outside diameter ofthe central section, can be created by cold working the central portionto create an outwardly bulging section.

In some examples, the wall thickness of the two end sections and thewall thickness of the central section can be approximately the same. Anyvariation in the thickness can possibly be caused by the stampingprocess.

A method of cold working a piece of tubing to form a spring groove.

A connector housing comprising a connector body having a spring grooveformed entirely by stamping a tubing section to produce two sidewallsand a bottom wall therebetween to receive a canted coil spring, andwherein the connector body comprises two end sections ach with an endopening and a central section located between the two end sections, andwherein an outside diameter of the central section is larger thanoutside diameters of the two end sections.

A housing section made with a first section and a second section canallow for standardization of housing parts. For example, a plurality offirst sections can be pre-made for use different second sections withdifferent inside perimeters to define different sized openings forforming different sized bores. This in turn can allow for connectorhousings to be made for use to receive different pins or piston sizes inthe bores utilizing the same first sections but different sized secondsections.

In an example, a pin can comprise an elongated pin body having aninsertion end with a taper surface, such as a tapered insertion end, anda flat planar end surface extending across a lengthwise axis of the pin.The tapered insertion end can allow the pin to lift the canted coilspring to enable insertion of the pin into the spring center.

The pin body can be solid without an internal bore or lumen or but caninclude an internal bore. The pin body can have nominal outside diameterthat is sized and shaped to pass through the opening of the connectorhousing and into the bore.

The canted coil spring positioned in the spring groove can contact thenominal outside diameter of the pin body in a holding application. Thepin body can incorporate a pin groove for receiving the canted coilspring when the pin is inserted into the bore to latch the pin to theconnector housing, which permits separation of the pin from the housing,or to lock the pin to the connector housing, which does not permitseparation of the pin from the housing.

The pin can incorporate a shoulder, such as an enlarged diametersection. The pin can be permitted to move into the bore in a firstdirection to latch the pin to the housing but the shoulder can preventthe pin from continuing in the same first direction after the latching,as the shoulder can abut the side of the connector housing. However, thepin can move in the second direction opposite the first direction tounlatch from the connector housing. The pin can be made from aconductive metallic material and can comprise one of the conductivematerials discussed elsewhere herein.

The pin groove of the pin can include two sidewalls and a bottom walllocated therebetween. The two sidewalls can be generally parallel to oneanother or can converge or diverge. In some example, one of thesidewalls can be generally orthogonal to the lengthwise axis of the pinand the other one of the two sidewalls can be tapered. The one with thetapered sidewall surface can allow the pin to release from the connectorhousing following latching.

The bottom wall can be generally flat, which can be generally parallelto the lengthwise axis of the pin. In other examples, the bottom wall ofthe pin groove can have a V-shape, with or without a subtended flatsurface between the two slanted surfaces. In still other examples, thebottom wall can have a single tapered bottom surface, which is taperedrelative to the lengthwise axis.

The various groove geometries of the pin grooves and the spring groovesof the connector housings discussed herein can be selected to positionthe major and minor axes of the coils of the canted coil springs adesired way so as to generate the desired insertion force to insert thepin into the bore of the housing and the desired removal or disconnectforce to remove the pin from the housing following latching. Theparticular groove geometries can also be selected to ensure lockingbetween the pin and the housing.

In some examples, the canted coil spring can be pin mounted rather thanhousing groove mounted as shown herein.

The sides 160 of the housing sections or the sides of the connectorhousings descried herein can alternatively embody one of the shapedsides shown in FIGS. 12 and 12 a-12 d.

Methods of using and of making assembled connector housings andconnector assemblies shown and described herein are within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure can alternatively include a connectorhousing comprising: a first housing section comprising a body having anexterior surface, an interior surface, an outer perimeter with two ormore sides with a joining section therebetween, an interior perimeterdefining an on opening, and a contoured structure formed by stamping; asecond housing section joined to the first housing section, said secondhousing section comprising a body having an exterior surface, aninterior surface, an outer perimeter with two or more sides with ajoining section therebetween, an interior perimeter defining an onopening, and a contoured structure formed by stamping; a spring grooveformed by the two contoured structures having a canted coil springlocated therein; and wherein the interior surfaces of the two housingsections contact one another adjacent the outer perimeter of eachhousing section; and wherein the openings of the two housing sectionsdefine a bore and the two outer perimeters define a housing perimeter.

A pin can be located in the bore.

A flange section can be include and wherein notches or holes can beprovided in the flange section.

The housing perimeter can have four sides and four joining sections.

The first housing section can comprise a first section attached to asecond section along the outer diameter of the second section.

At least one of the joining sections can be a corner tab extendingoutwardly from one of the sides.

The corner tab can attach to a fitment corner of the body.

A further aspect of the present disclosure can include a method ofmanufacturing a connector housing comprising: forming a first housingsection by stamping, said first housing section comprising a body havingan exterior surface, an interior surface, an outer perimeter with two ormore sides with a joining section therebetween, an interior perimeterdefining an on opening, and a contoured structure formed by stamping;forming a second housing section by stamping, said second housingsection joined to the first housing section, said second housing sectioncomprising a body having an exterior surface, an interior surface, anouter perimeter with two or more sides with a joining sectiontherebetween, an interior perimeter defining an on opening, and acontoured structure formed by stamping; attaching the first housingsection to the second housing section to form a spring groove from thetwo contoured structures; positioning a canted coil spring between thefirst housing section and the second housing section at the springgroove; and wherein the interior surfaces of the two housing sectionscontact one another adjacent the outer perimeter of each housingsection; and wherein the openings of the two housing sections define abore and the two outer perimeters define a housing perimeter.

The method can further comprise placing a pin into the bore.

The method can further comprise the step of forming a corner tab byextending a structure from one of the sides.

The method can further comprise attaching a first section to a secondsection to form the first housing section.

The method can further comprise forming one or more notches or one ormore holes in the flange section of the connector housing.

The method can further comprise removing the pin from the connectorhousing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present devices, systems,and methods will become appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood with reference to the specification, claims and appendeddrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a connector housing in accordance toa first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the connector housing of FIG. 1taken along line A-A.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a connector housing in accordance toa second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a connector housing in accordance toa third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a connector housing in accordance toa fourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a connector housing in accordance toa fifth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of a connector housing in accordance toa sixth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of a connector housing in accordance toa seventh embodiment and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional end view of theconnector housing of FIG. 9 taken along line B-B.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a connector housingin accordance to an eight embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a pin and a cross-sectional view ofa connector housing in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 12 and 12 a-12 d show schematic views of a connector housing withalternative shaped sides.

FIG. 13 is a method of making and using a connector housing of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a connector housingin accordance to a ninth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a connector housingin accordance to a tenth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of the presently preferredembodiments of connector assemblies and components provided inaccordance with aspects of the present devices, systems, and methods andis not intended to represent the only forms in which the presentdevices, systems, and methods may be constructed or utilized. Thedescription sets forth the features and the steps for constructing andusing the embodiments of the present devices, systems, and methods inconnection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood,however, that the same or equivalent functions and structures may beaccomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to beencompassed within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Asdenoted elsewhere herein, like element numbers are intended to indicatelike or similar elements or features.

Connector assemblies disclosed herein each comprises a connector housingwith a groove that receives a canted coil spring and a pin with orwithout a pin groove inserted into a bore of the connector housing andinto the spring center of the canted coil spring to hold, latch, or lockthe pin and the housing to one another.

A canted coil spring usable herein may be an axial canted coil spring ora radial canted coil spring. The canted coil spring comprises aplurality of coils all canted in the same general direction with eachcoil comprising a major axis and a minor axis. The coils can expand andcompress like a traditional helical compression or extension spring butcan also cant or deflect along a radial direction relative to the axispassing through the plurality of interconnected coils, unliketraditional helical compression or extension spring, which cannotdeflect in the comparable radial direction. In other examples, thespring can be a garter spring, a cantilever spring, or a ribbon spring.

Exemplary canted coil springs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,655,462;4,826,144; and 4,876,781, the contents of which are expresslyincorporated herein by reference. Canted coil springs usable herein canbe made from a conductive metal, such as a conductive metal wire, andmay be plated or cladded with one or more outer layers over a basemetallic layer. As used herein, conductive metal means any metal capableof conducting current, such as steel, stainless steel, copper, and gold.

In certain embodiments, a preferred conductive metal, such as copper,copper alloy, or a preferred combination, such as copper with silver orother noble metal cladding, may be used. For high temperatureapplications, a soft base metal may be used with a high tensile strengthouter layer, such as a copper core with a stainless steel outer layer.In another example, the combination may be practiced in the reverse,i.e., with the high tensile strength material as the base core materialand the high conductive property material, such as copper, as thecladding outer layer. In still yet other examples, the high tensilestrength property material can include heat treated carbon steel,INCONEL® alloys, and HASTELLOY® alloys. INCONEL alloys are understood toinclude a family of nickel-chromium-based super alloys. HASTELLOY areunderstood to include a family of nickel based super alloys that includevarying percentages of elements such as molybdenum, chromium, cobalt,iron, manganese, etc. In an example, the second conductive clad layerhaving high conductivity can include copper, copper alloy, aluminum,aluminum alloy, gold, gold alloy, silver, silver alloy, brass, or brassalloy. The combination with a high tensile strength base material and aconductive cladding material is configured to offer high conductivity aswell as retain high tensile and high modulus properties at elevatedtemperatures. The high conductivity layer is preferably positioned onthe side of the spring that contacts or faces a pin (not shown).However, in another embodiment, the high tensile strength material cancontact or face the pin.

With reference now to FIG. 1, a housing or connector housing 100 isshown comprising a body 102 having an outer body perimeter or housingperimeter 104 and a bore 106 defined by an inside perimeter 108. Theinside perimeter 108 defines an opening and the two openings aligned toreceive a pin. The body 102 further comprises a flange section 110 and acontoured or shaped section 112 located radially inwardly from theflange section 110. As further discussed below, the contoured section112 of two connected housing sections can define a spring groove. In anexample, the connector housing 100 is formed by joining two or morehousing sections 120 together. The two or more housing sections 120 canbe joined by various means, including by welding their perimeterstogether, by crimping the perimeters, by using fasteners, or by usingrivets. In the embodiment shown, the body 102 of the housing 100 can beformed by securing two housing sections 120 together, such as by weldingthe outer perimeter 104 of the two housing sections together. The sizeof the inside perimeter 108 and the overall size of the connectorhousing 100 can be selected to fit different situations andapplications.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the housing 100 of FIG. 1taken along lines A-A.

With reference to FIG. 2 in addition to FIG. 1, the body 102 is showncomprising two housing sections 120 each with a body 102 attached to oneanother along a seam 124. In one example, the outer perimeter 104 a ofthe two housing sections 120 can be the same, such as the same shapeand/or size, so that the outer edges of the respective outer perimeters104 a share a common outer perimeter 104, as shown. In other examples,the outer perimeter 104 a of each housing section 120 is different fromthe other in shape and/or size so that while they can still share a seam124 therebetween, there is no common outer perimeter 104.

Each housing section 120 has a flange structure 110 a, a contoured orshaped structure 112 a, an exterior surface 128, and an interior surface130. Each housing section 120 also has an opening defined by an interiorperimeter 108, which defines a bore 106. In an example, the two housingsections 120 contact one another at the interior surfaces 130 of theirrespective flange structures 110 a, as opposed to contacting at theedges of their respective outer perimeters 104 a.

When the two housing sections 120 are joined to form the connectorhousing 100, a spring groove 136 is defined by the two housing sections.As shown, the spring groove 136 comprises two sidewalls 138, 140 and abottom wall 142 located therebetween. The two sidewalls 138, 140 can beformed from all or part of the contoured structures 112 a, 112 a of thetwo housing sections 120. The bottom wall 142 can also be formed by thetwo contoured structures 112 a, 112 a and can have a seam 124 passingtherethrough.

The spring groove 136 has a width measured by the spacing between thetwo sidewalls 138, 140 and a groove depth measured from the groovebottom to a point defined by the two inside perimeters 108 of the twohousing sections. In an example, the groove depth and the groove widthcan be selected so as to accommodate an axial canted coil spring, aradial canted coil spring, or either of the radial or axial canted coilspring but rotated from each spring's normal coiled position. Forexample, when using a radial canted coil spring, the major axis can berotated from horizontal or when using an axial canted coil spring, themajor axis can be rotated from vertical. Both horizontal and verticalcan be measured relative to a housing axis passing through the bore 106of the housing 100, which is horizontal in the cross-sectional view ofFIG. 2. As shown, the canted coil spring 150 positioned in the springgroove 136 is an axial canted coil spring comprising a plurality ofcoils 152 all canted along the same general direction.

In an example, the spring groove 136 can have two generally parallelsidewalls 138, 140, such as shown in FIG. 2. In other examples, thesidewalls 138, 140 can converge or diverge from one another, such asbeing tapered as opposed to orthogonal to the housing axis. The bottomwall 142 can be general U-shaped, as shown in FIG. 2, generallyV-shaped, can have a flat bottom, or can have a single taper as opposedto being parallel to the housing axis. The various groove geometries ofthe spring groove 136 can be implemented, formed, or adjusted bychanging the shape of the contoured structures 112 a, 112 a of the twohousing sections 120, 120.

The assembled housing sections 120, 120 with a spring groove and acanted coil spring can accept a pin or a shaft (FIG. 11) so that thecanted coil spring is biased between the housing and the shaft. A pin orpiston can be inserted in through the bore 106 of the housing 100 andthe pin can either latch to the housing 100 via the canted coil spring150, lock to the housing 100, or be held to the housing 100 by thecanted coil spring 150.

One or both housing sections 120, 120 of the housing 100 of FIG. 2 canbe formed by cold working a metal piece to shape the metal piece intothe shaped housing section 120 shown. For example, for a two-piececonnector housing 100, both housing sections 120 can be formed by coldworking a metal piece, only one housing section is formed by coldworking a metal piece while the other is machined, or both housingsections 120, 120 can have sections formed by cold-working while othersections by machining. The two housing sections 120, 120 can besubstantially identical or be different, such as to produce anon-symmetrical spring groove 136 about the seam 124. In some example, ahousing section 120 can have both a cold-worked section and a machinedsection, such as a cut or a lathed inner perimeter 108 with a contouredstructure 112 a formed by cold working a metal piece.

A housing section 120 made by cold-working a metal piece can be referredto as a stamped housing section. The housing section 120 may be madeusing a coining process, which is a cold working process similar toforging, except the latter usually takes place at elevated temperatures.A die or multiple dies may be used in a coining process to first cut ablank and then shaping the blank into a refined shape, which canoptionally further be machined or laser treated to further modify thefinal shapes and tolerances. The die or dies used to shape the blank mayhave different shapes and contours for forming a different shapedhousing section, such as for forming different shaped contouredstructures to produce different shaped spring grooves 136 when joiningtwo housing sections 120 together to form a connector housing 100.

Generally speaking, the shaped housing section 120 can be described as anegative image of the die or dies used to form the shaped section orsections. A great deal of force is used to plastically deform a blank orwork piece. In one example, a hydraulic actuated press is used to supplythe working pressure. In other examples, a gear driven press or amechanical press may be used to supply the working pressure. Coining issimilar to stamping with the difference primarily being the workingforce or pressure. Unless the context indicates otherwise, coining andstamping for purposes of the present disclosure are used synonymously.

Blank materials usable as the starting point for forming the disclosedhousing section 120 may be made from any number of conductive metals.Examples of metals that are capable of conducting current include steel,stainless steel, copper, and gold. Additionally, stainless steel type316L, MP35N, platinum-iridium, titanium and others may be used.Alternatively, the material can be conventional medically implantablegrade material with noble metal coatings, such as platinum overstainless steel. By coating a non-noble metal element with a noblemetal, the more desirable conductive and corrosion resistant propertiesof the noble metal are married with the significantly lower cost ofnon-noble metals such as high-strength nickel alloys and stainlesssteel. Thus, the shaped housing section 120 may be understood to be madefrom a single metal material or a multi-layer metal material with thelatter having a base metal layer and one or more cladding or platingouter-layers. For certain connector applications, plastic injectionmolding may also be employed to form the housing section, as furtherdiscussed below. For pure mechanical applications without current orsignal carrying capability, two injection molded housing sections 120may be joined with a canted coil spring located in between to form aconnector housing 100.

With reference again to FIG. 1, the outer perimeter 104 of the connectorhousing 100 is shown with multiple sides 160, such as two sides, threesides, four sides, or more than four sides. Each side 160 should have adistinct side section or sections so as together not form a round orcircular outer perimeter 104. In contrast, prior art connector housingstypically have round outer perimeters. As further discussed below, byincorporating sides to an outer perimeter, the present connector housing100 improves handling and assembly, such as by allowing the sides 160 tobe used as reference points, for line contacts with other flat surfaces,and/or for alignment, among others.

Two sides 160 of the outer perimeter 104 can connect to one another by ajoining section 162. Two adjacent sides 160 and one joining section 162therebetween are clearly distinct, have a change in axis or aninflection point, in contrast to an arc with a single radius or astraight line. Each joining section 162 can be a corner with a smallradius, a large radius as shown in FIG. 2, or be substantially rightangle or 90 degrees. For a four-sided outer perimeter 104, or for aperimeter with more than or fewer than four sides, the joining sections162 can be the same or different. For example, one joining section 162can have a small radius while another joining section 162 of the sameperimeter 104 can have a large radius. The plurality of sides 160 of theouter perimeter 104 can be of equal size, such as to form a generallysquare shape outer perimeter with rounded joining sections, or ofdifferent sizes, such as to form a generally rectangular shape, or otherpolygonal shapes.

A stamped housing section 120 can be formed to have flat sides 160 inorder to facilitate assembly and fitment in rectangular or squarecavities. The term flat side can be understood to mean a generallystraight or linear side. In some examples, each side 160 can havemultiple flat sections forming a side, as further discussed below. Thus,when a connector housing 100 formed by using two housing sections 120,120 of the present disclosure is installed or assembled into a cavity ofan equipment or a component of a larger equipment, the outer perimeter104 with flat sides 160 form a fitment with a correspondingly shapedcavity. This arrangement allows for proper alignment between theconnector housing 100 and the cavity, anti-rotation or turning withinthe cavity, and facilitate assembly, among others.

With reference now to FIG. 3, a connector housing 100 in accordance withfurther aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The present housing100 is similar to one of the connector housing 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 witha few exceptions. A canted coil spring 150 (not shown), such as a radialor an axial a canted coil spring similar to the spring 150 of FIG. 2,may be positioned in the spring groove of the connector housing 100 ofFIG. 3. In the present embodiment, the joining sections 162 between twoadjacent sides 160 are not uniform. In the example shown, two joiningsections 162 can have the same shape while two other joining sectionscan have different shapes. As shown, two of the joining sections 162 canhave small radiuses and the side 160 located therebetween can beconsidered an active side 170 used for handling and/or alignment.

As shown, the active side can have two slots 172 formed near the twojoining sections 162. The slots 172 can be provided in the flangesection 110 of the connector housing 100. The slots 172 do not have acontinuous perimeter defining the openings of the slots. Alternatively,holes with a continuous perimeter can be provided instead of thenon-continuous perimeter. The two slots can be the same or be different,such as one with a non-continuous perimeter and another with acontinuous perimeter. The slots 172 on the active side 170 may beincluded to provide alignment along guiderails or rods within theassembly or equipment. Thus, in addition to aligning the straight sideof the active side 170 with a cavity, alignment and guidancecapabilities can be provided with the slots 172 to ease and simplifyassembly of the stamped housing sections within an assembly, such aswithin a connector stack or assembly for use with a header of animplantable medical device (IMD), such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 8,690,609, 8,480,437, 8,437,855, and 8,328,587. Furthermore, suchholes or slots 172 may facilitate welding of wires to the housingconnector 100.

With reference now to FIG. 4, a connector housing 100 in accordance withfurther aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The present housing100 is similar to the connector housing 100 of FIGS. 1-3 with a fewexceptions. In the present embodiment, the four joining sections 162 aregenerally the same, such as having similar shaped radiuses. Further, aplurality of holes 174, each with a continuous perimeter, can beprovided in the flange section 110 of the connector housing. In anexample, four holes 174 can be provided at each of the four joiningsections 162 of the connector housing 100. Alternatively, the holes 174can each be off from center of the corresponding joining section 162.

The holes 174 may be included to provide alignment within the assemblyor equipment. Thus, in addition to aligning the straight sides 160 witha cavity, alignment and guidance capabilities can be provided with theholes 174 to ease and simplify assembly of the stamped housing sectionswithin an assembly, such as within a connector stack or assembly for usewith a header.

With reference now to FIG. 5, a connector housing 100 in accordance withfurther aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The present housing100 is similar to the connector housing 100 of FIGS. 1-4, and inparticular to the connector housing 100 of FIG. 3 with a few exceptions.In the present embodiment, corner tabs 180 are provided instead ofradiused joining sections 162 at the corners with the active side 170.The corners tabs 180, because they join two adjacent sides 160, can alsobe considered joining sections 162. The corner tabs 180 can each bestamped with the respective housing section 120 and then the two housingsections 120 joined together, such as by welding, to form the connectorhousing 100. The corner tabs 180 can offer extra flat material tofacilitate handling of the connector housing. The corner tabs 180 canalso be useful as a guide or alignment means along a slot or cavity in aconnector assembly or header, as well as providing further real estatefor welding of wires or for use as leverage. The corner tabs 180 may bethought of as extensions of the flat active side 170.

With reference now to FIG. 6, a connector housing 100 in accordance withfurther aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The present housing100 is similar to the connector housing 100 of FIGS. 1-5, and inparticular to the connector housing 100 of FIG. 5 with a few exceptions.In the present embodiment, the corner tabs 180 are separately formedmembers that are attached to the body 102 of the connector housing. Forexample, corner tabs 180 can be machined or stamped extended membersthat are separately formed from the housing sections 120. The twohousing sections 120 are provided with fitment corners 182 that aresized and shaped to receive the two corner tabs 180. In some examples,only a single corner tab 180 is separately formed and subsequentlyattached to the body 102 of the connector housing 100. The attachmentcan be made by welding. Notches and/or holes are excluded from thepresent connector housing 100 but can be included.

With reference now to FIG. 7, a connector housing 100 in accordance withfurther aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The present housing100 is similar to the connector housing 100 of FIGS. 1-6, and inparticular to the connector housing 100 of FIG. 5 with a few exceptions.In the present embodiment, only a single unitarily formed corner tab 180is included as one of the joining sections that joins two sides 160. Asshown, the three remaining joining sections 162 can have two differentradiuses. Notches and/or holes are excluded from the present connectorhousing 100 but can be included.

With reference now to FIG. 8, a connector housing 100 in accordance withfurther aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The present housing100 is similar to the connector housing 100 of FIGS. 1-7, and inparticular to the connector housing 100 of FIG. 6 with a few exceptions.In the present embodiment, the corner tabs 180 can be separately formedmembers that are attached to the body 102 of the connector housing,similar to that of FIG. 6. However, as shown in FIG. 9, which is across-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 8, the two corner tabs180 can be made from different materials than from the two housingsections 120, shown with different cross-hatchings. The corner tabs 180can also each be formed from a single layer along a thickness thereofrather than from two or more layers. The corner tabs 180 of the presentembodiment can be made from a metal material or from a non-metallicmaterial, such as from engineered plastic. If the corner tabs are madefrom a metal material, they can attach to the body 102 by welding. Ifthe corner tabs are made from a non-metallic material, they can attachto the body using adhesive, press-fit, fasteners, detents, orcombinations thereof. Notches and/or holes are excluded from the presentconnector housing 100 but can be included.

With reference now to FIG. 10, a connector housing 100 in accordancewith further aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The presenthousing 100 is similar to the connector housing 100 of FIGS. 1-8, and inparticular to the connector housing 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 with a fewexceptions. In the present embodiment, one or both housing sections 120,120 for forming the body 102 of the connector housing 100 has a firstsection 190 formed by cold-working a metal material, such as having acontoured section 112 a, and a second section 192 made from a plasticmaterial, such as from an engineered plastic, or from a metal material.The second section 192 can be provided with an outside diameter 194 thatfits with an inside diameter 196 of the first section 190. Theattachment can be by welding if the second section 192 is made from ametal material or by adhesive, press-fit, fasteners, detents, orcombinations thereof if the second section is made from a plasticmaterial.

The second section 192 can be generally flat or planar and can includean inside perimeter 108 defining a bore 106 and an outside perimeter194. The second section 192 can be similar to a washer used with a boltor a fastener. The present housing section 120 made with a first section190 and a second section 192 can allow for standardization of housingparts. For example, a plurality of first sections 190 can be pre-madefor use different second sections 192 with different inside perimeters108 to define different sized openings for forming different sized bores106. This in turn allows for connector housings 100 to be made for useto receive different pin or piston sizes in the bore 106 utilizing thesame first sections 190 but different sized second sections 192.

With reference now to FIG. 11, a connector housing 100 in accordancewith further aspects of the present disclosure is shown with a pin orpiston 200. The present connector housing 100 can be similar to one ofthe connector housings 100 of FIGS. 1-10 and is shown with a pin 200 todemonstrate how the connector housing 100 can interact with the pin. Inan example, the pin 200 can comprise an elongated pin body 202 having aninsertion end 204 with a taper surface 206, such as a tapered insertionend, and a flat planar end surface 208 extending across a lengthwiseaxis of the pin. The tapered insertion end 206 allows the pin to liftthe canted coil spring 150 to enable insertion of the pin into thespring center.

The pin body 202 can be solid without an internal bore or lumen or butcan include an internal bore. The pin body 202 can have nominal outsidediameter 208 that is sized and shaped to pass through the opening 109 ofthe connector housing 100 and into the bore 106. The canted coil spring150 is positioned in the spring groove 136 and can contact the nominaloutside diameter 208 of the pin body 202 in a holding application. Asshown, the pin body 202 incorporates a pin groove 216 for receiving thecanted coil spring 150 when the pin is inserted into the bore 106 tolatch the pin to the connector housing, which permits separation of thepin from the housing, or to lock the pin to the connector housing, whichdoes not permit separation of the pin from the housing.

In some examples, the pin 200 can incorporate a shoulder, such as anenlarged diameter section, to the left of the pin groove 216 of FIG. 11.The pin 200 can be permitted to move into the bore 106 in a firstdirection to latch the pin to the housing but the shoulder prevents thepin from continuing in the first direction after the latching, as theshoulder abuts the side of the connector housing. However, the pin canmove in the second direction opposite the first direction to unlatchfrom the connector housing. The pin 200 can be made from a conductivemetallic material and can comprise one of the conductive materialsdiscussed elsewhere herein.

The pin groove 216 is shown with two sidewalls 218, 220 and a bottomwall located therebetween. The two sidewalls 218, 220 can be generallyparallel to one another or can converge or diverge. In some example, oneof the sidewalls can be generally orthogonal to the lengthwise axis ofthe pin 200 one the other one of the two sidewalls is tapered. Thetapered sidewall surface can allow the pin to release from the connectorhousing following latching.

The bottom wall 222 can be generally flat as shown, which is generallyparallel to the lengthwise axis of the pin. In other examples, thebottom wall 222 can have a V-shape, with or without a subtended flatsurface between the two slanted surfaces. In still other examples, thebottom wall 222 can have a single tapered bottom surface, which istapered relative to the lengthwise axis. The various groove geometriesof the pin groove 216 and the spring groove 136 of the connector housing100 can be selected to position the major and minor axes of the coils ofthe canted coil spring 150 a desired way so as to generate the desiredinsertion force to insert the pin into the bore of the housing and thedesired removal or disconnect force to remove the pin from the housingfollowing latching. The particular groove geometries can also beselected to ensure locking between the pin and the housing.

In some examples, the canted coil spring 150 can be pin mounted ratherthan housing groove mounted as shown in FIGS. 1 and 11.

With reference now to FIG. 12, a connector housing 100 in accordancewith further aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The presenthousing 100 is similar to the connector housing 100 of FIGS. 1-11, andin particular to the connector housing 100 of FIG. 1 with a fewexceptions. In the present embodiment, one or more of the sides 160 ofthe perimeter 104 of the connector housing 100 can be modified toincorporate other edge or side features. As shown in dash-lines, thegenerally straight side 160 can be modified to include shaped side 260having a shallow inverted V-shape with two side edge sections 262, 264and an apex 266. One or more than one of the sides 160 of the perimeter104 can be modified to have a shaped side 260. Further, the shaped side260 can embody other shapes, other than a shallow inverted V-shape. Theconnector housing can incorporate notches and/or holes and optionalcorner tabs.

FIG. 12a depicts an alternative shaped side 260, similar to the shallowinverted V-shape of FIG. 12, which can be incorporated as one of thesides 160 of the perimeter 104 of the various connector housings 100described elsewhere herein. The shaped side 260 of the presentembodiment comprises a side edge 270 having a tab 272 with a flat tabedge 274 projecting therefrom.

FIG. 12b depicts an alternative shaped side 260, similar to the shapedside of FIGS. 12 and 12 a, which can be incorporated as one of the sides160 of the perimeter 104 of the various connector housings 100 describedelsewhere herein. The shaped side 260 of the present embodimentcomprises a side edge 270 having a tab 276 with a pyramid or pointedshape projecting from the side edge.

FIG. 12c depicts an alternative shaped side 260, similar to the shapedside of FIGS. 12, 12 a, 12 b and 12 c, which can be incorporated as oneof the sides 160 of the perimeter 104 of the various connector housings100 described elsewhere herein. The shaped side 260 of the presentembodiment comprises a side edge 270 having a plurality of teeth 280extending therefrom, similar to a saw blade. In some examples, theintermediate straight side edge sections 270 can be omitted and theteeth interconnected with one another.

FIG. 12d depicts an alternative shaped side 260, similar to the shapedside of FIGS. 12, 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, and 12 d, which can be incorporatedas one of the sides 160 of the perimeter 104 of the various connectorhousings 100 described elsewhere herein. The shaped side 260 of thepresent embodiment comprises a side edge 270 a curved or arcuatesurface, having a complex curve.

FIG. 13 depicts a method 240 of manufacturing a connector assembly andfor using the connector assembly of the present disclosure. At step 242,the method comprises forming a connector housing 100 comprising two ormore housing sections 120 and wherein at least one of the two housingsections comprises a contoured area that is formed by cold working ametal material. The connector housing 100 can include structuralfeatures discussed elsewhere herein and comprises a spring groove and aplurality of sides 160.

A canted coil spring is placed into a spring groove at 244, which can bea pin groove or a housing spring groove. In some examples the cantedcoil spring 150 can be place between two housing sections 120 before thetwo housing sections are joined together, such as welded together. Theconnector housing is complete at 244 and ready for shipping or for usewith other components.

At 246, the process can further comprise inserting a pin into a bore ofthe connector housing and the spring ring center, to hold, latch, orlock the pin to the housing. The pin can be one of the pins discussedelsewhere herein.

Optionally, the process includes step 248, which comprises removing thepin from the connector housing.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a connector housing100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The connectorhousing 100 has a connector body or body 290 comprising two sidewalls292, 294 and a center wall 296 located between the two sidewalls. Thethree walls 292, 294, 296 define a spring groove 136 having a cantedcoil spring 150 located therein. As shown, the canted coil spring 150 isa radial canted coil spring, which has a major axis that is parallel tothe central axis of the bore 106. In other examples, the canted coilspring can be an axial canted coil spring.

In an example, the present connector housing 100 can be formed fromthree housing sections, including a first housing section 300, a secondhousing section 302, and a third housing section 304. The three housingsections 300, 302, 304 are joined to one another to form the body 290with two seams 124. In an example, the first and second housing sections300, 302 can be formed by stamping. For example, the first and secondhousing sections can be stamped from two or more dies to create anoutside perimeter 310 with an outside diameter and an inside perimeter108 with an inside diameter. The third housing section 304 can shape asa cylindrical body and can be formed by cutting or machining a length oftubing and the like.

The two inside perimeters 108 of the first and second housing sections300, 302 are aligned to form two end openings into the bore 106 of theconnector housing 100. A pin, such as the pin 200 of FIG. 11, can beinserted into the bore 106 to hold, latch, or lock the pin to theconnector housing 100. The first and second housing sections 300, 302can attach to the third housing section 304, which can all be made fromone of the conductive metal materials discussed elsewhere herein, bywelding.

With reference now to FIG. 15, a schematic cross-sectional side view ofa connector housing 100 in accordance with further aspects of thepresent disclosure. The present connector housing comprises a connectorbody or body 320 having a spring groove 136 formed by cold working asingle piece structure 322. In an example, the single piece structure322 is a section of a tube having a length, a thickness, an insidediameter, an outside diameter, a bore, and two end openings 324. Thetubing section or single piece structure 322 can be a soft metalmaterial, such as copper, brass, or alloys thereof, and can optionallybe plated or cladded with a different metallic layer, internally,externally, or both. The single piece structure 322 is cold-worked whilesupporting two end sections 330 and allowing a central section 332 tobulge or expand radially outwardly from the lengthwise axis of theconnector body 320. Internal and external dies are used to shape thecentral section 332 to produce two sidewalls 336, 338 and a bottom wall340 therebetween to form the spring groove 136. The length of the twoend sections 330 on either side of the central section 332 can be thesame or different. Further, the length of either section can be machinedor cut after the stamping process.

In an example, the spring groove 136 has internal radiused corners 350at the entrance of opening of the spring groove and radiused corners 352at the bottom of the spring groove.

The connector housing 100 is configured to receive a pin, such as thepin 200 of FIG. 11, which can be inserted into the bore 106 to hold,latch, or lock the pin to the connector housing 100.

Thus, aspect of the connector housing 100 is understood to include aconnector body 320 having a spring groove 136 formed entirely bystamping a tubing section to produce two sidewalls 336, 338 and a bottomwall 340 therebetween to receive a canted coil spring 150, which can bea radial canted coil spring or an axial canted coil spring.

In an example, a connector housing 100 having a body 320 having a springgroove 136 formed entirely by stamping a tubing section to produce twosidewalls 336, 338 and a bottom wall 340 therebetween to receive acanted coil spring 150. The connector body 320 can have two end sections330 and a central section 332 the spring groove being located betweenthe two end sections 330 and at the central section 332. In an example,each of the two end sections 330 comprises an outside diameter and thecentral section comprises an outside diameter, and wherein the outsidediameter of the central section is larger than the outside diameters ofthe two end sections. The different outside diameters can be created bycold working the central portion to create an outwardly bulging section.In some examples, the wall thickness of the two end sections and thewall thickness of the central section are approximately the same withpossible variations caused by the stamping process.

Methods of using and of making assembled connector housings shown anddescribed herein are within the scope of the present disclosure.

Although limited embodiments of the connector housings, connectorassemblies and their components have been specifically described andillustrated herein, many modifications and variations will be apparentto those skilled in the art. For example, the various sides, perimeters,and bore openings may incorporate different shapes than described.Furthermore, it is understood and contemplated that featuresspecifically discussed for one connector housing may be adopted forinclusion with another connector housing, provided the functions arecompatible. For example, holes, notches, and corner tabs may be used inanother embodiment shown currently without them. The shapes of the holesand notches can also embody other shapes than as shown and described.Accordingly, it is to be understood that the connector housings andconnector assemblies and their components constructed according toprinciples of the disclosed device, system, and method may be embodiedother than as specifically described herein. The disclosure is alsodefined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connector housing comprising: a first housingsection comprising a body having a wall with an exterior surface, anopposed interior surface, an outer perimeter with two or more sides witha joining section located between two adjacent sides, an inner perimeterthrough the exterior and interior surfaces defining an opening, and acontoured structure having a wall formed by stamping and having theinner perimeter located therein or thereon; a second housing sectionjoined to the first housing section, said second housing sectioncomprising a body having an exterior surface, an opposed interiorsurface, an outer perimeter with two or more sides with a joiningsection located between two adjacent sides, an inner perimeter throughthe exterior and interior surfaces defining an opening, and a contouredstructure having a wall formed by stamping and having the innerperimeter located therein or thereon; a spring groove formed by the twocontoured structures having a canted coil spring located therein;wherein the interior surfaces of the two housing sections contact oneanother adjacent the outer perimeter of each housing section and havinga seam therebetween and wherein the wall of the contoured structure ofthe first housing section is located on a first side of the seam and thewall of the contoured structure of the second housing section located ona second side of the seam and spaced from the wall of the contouredstructure of the first housing section; and wherein the openings of thetwo housing sections define a bore and the two outer perimeters define ahousing perimeter.
 2. The connector housing of claim 1, furthercomprising a pin located in the bore.
 3. The connector housing of claim1, further comprising a flange section adjacent the contour section ofthe first housing section and wherein notches or holes are provided inthe flange section.
 4. The connector housing of claim 1, wherein thehousing perimeter has four sides and four joining sections.
 5. Theconnector housing of claim 1, wherein the first housing sectioncomprises a first section attached to a second section along the outerdiameter of the second section.
 6. The connector housing of claim 1,wherein at least one of the joining sections is a corner tab extendingoutwardly from one of the sides.
 7. The connector housing of claim 6,wherein the corner tab is attached to a fitment corner.
 8. The connectorhousing of a claim 1, wherein the canted coil spring is a radial cantedcoil spring or an axial canted coil spring.
 9. A method of manufacturinga connector housing comprising: forming a first housing section bystamping, said first housing section comprising a body having anexterior surface, an interior surface, an outer perimeter with two ormore sides with a joining section located between two adjacent sides, aninner perimeter defining an opening, and a contoured structure; forminga second housing section by stamping, said second housing section joinedto the first housing section, said second housing section comprising abody having an exterior surface, an interior surface, an outer perimeterwith two or more sides with a joining section located between twoadjacent sides, an inner perimeter defining an opening, and a contouredstructure; attaching the first housing section to the second housingsection to form a spring groove from the two contoured structures;positioning a canted coil spring between the first housing section andthe second housing section at the spring groove; wherein the interiorsurfaces of the two housing sections contact one another adjacent theouter perimeter of each housing section; and wherein the openings of thetwo housing sections define a bore and the two outer perimeters define ahousing perimeter.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising placinga pin into the bore.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingremoving the pin from the connector housing.
 12. The method of claim 9,further comprising the step of forming a corner tab by extending astructure from one of the sides.
 13. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising attaching a first section to a second section to form thefirst housing section.
 14. The method of claim 9, further comprisingforming one or more notches or one or more holes in the flange sectionof the connector housing.